Thursday, August 19, 2010

Let's get this big subject out of the way from the very beginning. Dry martinis are not a great choice for first time martini drinkers. Seriously!! For amateur drinkers, Dry martinis may seem a little harsh since they have not yet accustomed their taste buds to the particular kick felt in neat liquor flavors.

Suggestions:

- Keep a bottle of gin in the freezer for your dry martinis exclusively

- Ice/water is a key element in this drink. Always use fresh ice.

- Olives or Lemon Twist? - your choice, if you use a lemon twist, then use it, by that I mean, Twist your lemon peel over the glass, to enjoy the fragance and flavor provided by the citric oils to your libation.

- If you prefer the olives, then EAT THEM. Seriously, Eat one of your olives before drinking your Dry Martini, that will guarantee that your taste buds are covered by the natural oils of your olives and create a prefect recipient for the herbal notes fo the gin.

The original recipe calls for 4 basic ingredients. Gin, Vermouth, Olives, and Ice. How you combine them and in which proportions you mix them, will be the key element to create a different drink.

Beginners Dry Martini

Option 1: "Long" Dry Martini, Shaken not stirred

The original recipe calls for 1 part gin, 1 part vermouth, but Gin´s quality is much better nowadays and its proof has increased to the point that lees vermouth is required)

4 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth

Olives as a garnish

Shaken (Bruise* it, Only for beginners...)

Option 2:

Dirty Martini, Shaken

Check out my blog on Dirty Martinis coming on September

4 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 Part Olive Brine

Olives as a garnish

Shaken (Bruised*)

* Bruised means that will be over shaken, to the point that the ice will be broken in tiny shards providing more presence of water in your drink. 40 to 50 Mississippi counts will be about the right shaking time to bruise the ice. Remember this is just an exception, average drinks will take from 15 to 20 Mississippi counts to be perfectly shaken.

I prefer to serve Shaken (Bruised) martinis to beginners with a more pronounce Vermouth flavor and garnish with 3 Olives (first time martini drinkers need to soften up the presence of herbal flavors in their palates, so don´t be shy, stuff them suckers with either red peppers, anchovies or blue cheese. Don´t forget that you are enticing new Dry believers!).

Intermediate Dry Martini

Option 1:

Mr. Bond Martini (or 007 Martini), Shaken or stirred, your choice

7 or 8 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth

Lemon Peel Twisted over the finished drink

Shaken (if you tasted less than 20 of these drinks in your lifetime)or Stirred (If you have gain the confidence and palate to enjoy the herbal notes while drinking)

Option 2:

Gibson Martini, Shaken

7 or 8 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 part Onion juice

Cocktails Onions as Garnish

Shaken, definitively

Option 3:

Gimlet Martini, Shaken

7 or 8 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 part lime juice

Lemon Peel Twisted over the glass

Shaken

Ultimate Dry Martini

Option 1:

In and out Dry Martini

3 ounces of Gin

Rinse the glass or the ice with Vermouth, eliminate the excess after rinsing.

There are 2 kinds of glassware in general with stem or without it. They are called stemware and tumblers respectively.

Tumblers: Flat-bottomed drinking glasses. Originally they had a round bottom, therefore the name.Stemware: Type of drinking glass that stands on stems above a base.

Tumbler Glassware List:

Highball or Tall Glass

8 oz to12 oz volume.
Similar in shape to Collins glasses but smaller
Know also as Slim Jim or Cooler (Russian Table Glasses are faceted version of them)
You can use them to serve cocktails with ice cubes or crushed ice (except for Tequila based cocktails). Intechangeable with Collins glasses or water, soda or beer glassware

Collins Glass

8 oz to14 oz volume.
You can use them to serve cocktails with ice cubes or crushed ice (except for Tequila based cocktails)
Highball are usually interchangeable with Water, Highball, soda or beer glassware.

Rock Glass or Low Ball

6 oz to10 oz volume (Called Old Fashioned too)
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Water Glass

8 oz to 12 oz volume
Elongated tumbler type of glassware, around 4 or 5 inches tall
Usually confused with Collins and highball glasses, as well as beer and soda.
if found in a situation where you find 3 similarly shaped glasses and need to choose which one is the water glass, choose the smallest of the three options, The taller glass is used for soda or beer, and the medium as a Collins or a highball glass.

Shot Glass

1.5 oz volume.
A smaller tumbler created to hold one single measure of alcohol, a "shot" that is usually served to be taken straight from the glass. They can be decorated and used as souvenirs with humurous or colorful depictions of states, cities, or popular destinations.

Whiskey Tumbler

6 oz to10 oz volume.
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Stemware Glassware List:

Martini Glass (Cocktail Glass)

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Wine Glass

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Water Glass

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Snifter (Brandy Glass)

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Bordeaux, or claret

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Burgundy

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Champagne coupe or saucer

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Champagne flute

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Cordial

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Sherry glass

6 oz to10 oz volumen
Short tumbler, around 2 inches tall
You can use them to serve neat drinks or drink with ice cubes
They are used preferably for drinks such as Whiskey and Old Fashioned

Highball glassware is a standard in any collection of cocktail glasses and can be used for drinks such as Salty Dog, Colorado Bulldog, Vodka, Cranberry and the ever popular Whiskey Sour. A traditional highball drink is made by using one shot of rye whiskey over ice. The rest of the glass is then filled with ginger ale.